Long runs, interval workouts, and weekend races have defined much of the past four years for seniors Gavin Venoff and Sofia Balisteri. The mileage and discipline carried them through state meets, personal records, and eventually the attention of college coaches. Next year, Venoff will join Union College’s program, and Balisteri will compete for Northwestern, the culmination of two different but equally demanding recruiting paths.
For Venoff, the idea of running in college started to take shape halfway through high school. “After my sophomore year of cross country, the idea of wanting to commit to running came into my head, but it wasn’t until junior year of track that I was sold on the idea of committing,” Venoff expressed.
Once Venoff had decided he wanted to continue his athletic career, he began the recruiting process. This process spans multiple years and has various steps that ensure the athlete fits both the academic and athletic profile of the school.
“You first have to be able to or be trending toward the team of interests standards, which you can see on runRecurit. You usually will email the coach, hoping for a response, and then have a phone call with the coach, and if that goes well, then the coach will ask for a pre-read to see the likelihood of you getting into the school,” explains Venoff. “Following this, I had a visit to meet the coaches of a couple of schools, which included tours of the campuses and time with the coaches. After this, which I did at the beginning of the summer, the school, if interested, would email/text asking if I was interested in doing an overnight with the team and seeing how school worked, and then, while talking to the coach after the overnight, he offered me a spot on the [Union College] team, which I accepted.”
The process was fairly similar for Balestreri: “I began emailing coaches during the summer after my sophomore year and then throughout my junior year. In the summer after my junior year, I ran at nationals and ran a PR [personal record], getting me even more attention. I then attended official visits to my top schools in September and decided to commit after visiting Northwestern.”
While the recruiting process looks similar for most athletes, one aspect that is different is the division. Like most sports, cross country runners can choose or qualify to go D1, D2, or D3, depending on their times and grades.
Northwestern is part of the Big Ten Conference for cross country, meaning Balestreri will be participating in D1 athletics. The distinction and prestige of this program are two of the reasons Balestreri decided to commit.
“A big thing for me was the conference; being in the Big 10 would have incredible opportunities in track with the best competition. The facilities were amazing, and the coaches were so involved in the success of the runners and their development. They really care about their athletes and want them to be healthy and succeed,” said Balestreri.
Venoff decided to go to Union College, a Division 3 school, because of its reputation. “I know people who were successful after attending Union, and like the idea of having people that I know before I step foot on campus and having a group of people you can rely on throughout college.”
Both of these athletes were encouraged and supported by their coaches, who guided them through the recruiting process.
Venoff shares how his coaches made a difference in his experience, “Coach Bailey and Coach Smith were very supportive in the process, giving their own opinions on each of the schools and helping me find where I would fit best. Coach Saunders, Coach B, and Coach Ward definitely held me to a higher standard when they knew I wanted to get to the next level, pushing me even harder than they already did.”
As Balestreri and Venoff move on to this next chapter of cross-country running, they look forward to new coaches, teammates, and experiences at their respective universities.
“I really love competing and running, and I cannot wait to continue in college,” exclaimed Balestreri.
Venoff had similar remarks, “I hope to get faster and be able to see places I thought I wouldn’t be able to see as a result of running.”
The cross country recruiting process proved to be challenging but completely worthwhile for these two atheletes. We wish them the best of luck as they represent the Wildcats and Chargers in their future races!
